Company Assessment

In 2018, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change Score of A.[Source 2018][More on Climate Change]

As You Sow's 2018 report, Mining the Disclosures, is a deep analysis of 206 companies' human rights performance in relation to sourcing conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This company's score was above 80% (Leading).[Source 2018][More on Human Rights]

Greenpeace's 2017 report 'Clicking Clean' looks at the energy footprints of large data centre operators and popular websites and applications, and calls on these companies to power their data centres on renewable energy. Companies are graded (A,B,C,D,F) on their commitment to and procurement of renewable energy, as well as energy efficiency, transparency and advocacy. This company's final grade was B.[Source 2017][More on Climate Change]

This website by German NGO Earth Link rates companies on their corporate policies against child labour, production monitoring and accusations of child labour. This company received at least one green mark, and no red marks, indicating good performance in one or more of these areas.[Source 2013][More on Human Rights]

This 2016 scorecard by SOMO compares electronics companies on their policies and efforts regarding responsible mining and the elimination of child labour, with special attention to the mining of gold. This company is above industry standard on 5 out of 7 criteria.[Source 2016][More on Human Rights]

In 2018 KnowTheChain benchmarked 120 large global companies in the ICT, Food & Beverage, and Apparel & Footwear sectors on their efforts to address forced labour and human trafficking in their supply chains. This company received a score of 61/100.[Source 2018][More on Workers Rights]

Milieudefensie and Friends of the Earth have assessed how open manufacturers of smartphones, tablets, laptops and game consoles are about the use of materials, water, land surface area and greenhouse gas emissions. Assessment also covered whether manufacturers are honest about the use of tin from Indonesia and whether they are prepared to address the abuses in the tin mines on Bangka in Indonesia, such as by participating in the IDH project (Sustainable Trade Initiative).This company received a 'green' rating, indicating they provide ample information on the use of raw materials and is helping to improve the situation in the tin mines on Bangka Belitung.[Source 2015][More on Human Rights]

A 2017 report by Amnesty International, 'Time to Recharge' ranks major electronics and car companies on how much they have improved their cobalt sourcing practices since January 2016. The report found that while a handful of companies have made progress, many are still not doing enough to stop human rights abuses entering their cobalt supply chains, even though their products could be linked to child labour in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This company was rated 'no action taken'.[Source 2017][More on Human Rights]

Greenpeace's Cool IT Leaderboard Version 6 evaluates top IT companies on their efforts to provide economy-wide climate solutions, reduce emissions from their own operations, and lobby for science-based climate and energy policies. This company received a score of 34/100.[Source 2013][More on Climate Change]

This company received a score of 32/100 (retrieved 14-Feb-2018) in the Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI), a system for evaluating supply chain practices in China, particularly in regards to environmental management and water pollution. Scores are calculated using government compliance data, online monitoring data, and third-party environmental audits, as well as trends in the environmental performance of factories in the company's supply chains.[Source 2018][More on Habitats]

Brands owned by this company are on RankaBrand's Greenwashing Alert list. These are companies that report in some way on sustainability, but the information they provide is either of marginal or no relevance and is not explicit about sustainability performance.[Source 2014][More on Irresponsible Marketing]

In 2017 engineers from ifixit.com disassembled and analysed a range of smartphones, tablets and laptops, awarding each a repairability score between one and ten. Ten is the easiest to repair. A device with a perfect score will be relatively inexpensive to repair because it is easy to disassemble and has a service manual available. Points are docked based on the difficulty of opening the device, the types of fasteners found inside, and the complexity involved in replacing major components. Points are awarded for upgradability, use of non-proprietary tools for servicing, and component modularity. Products by this company scored 1 point.[Source 2017][More on Product Safety]

This company is on OpenSecrets.org's list of the 100 top donor organisations in US federal-level politics since 1989. Companies on this list lobby and spend big, with large sums sent to candidates, parties and leadership PACs. This company comes in at number 37 on the list, with donations totalling US$41,181,223 between 1989 and 2018.[Source 2018][More on Politics]

The European Union fined this company 561m euros (US$731m)for failing to comply with a 2009 agreement relating to its practice of automatically installing Internet Explorer as the browser for Windows customers. Microsoft had agreed to pay an 860m euro (US$1.2b) fine and offer a choice of browsers in the future. It then violated the agreement from May 2011 to July 2012 affecting 15 million installations and was sanctioned for its failure to comply.[Source 2013][More on Finance]

Rank a Brand searches the websites of brands for the answers to carefully targeted questions. From this they calculate sustainability scores based on the themes of environment, climate, labor issues, and transparency. Brands owned by this company received a 'D'.[Source 2016][More on Sustainability Reporting]

In 2012, this company lost its appeal against a fine imposed by the European Commission in 2008 for breaking antitrust laws. The case began in 1988, a 497m euro fine was imposed in 2004 along with orders to allow competitors' products to interface properly with Microsoft's server software, a further penalty of 280.3m euros was imposed in 2006 for non-compliance and another penalty of 899m euros in 2008. In 2012, the Grand Court adjusted the 2008 penalty for miscalculation to 860m euros so the case cost Microsoft a total 1.64b euros in fines and penalties.[Source 2012][More on Governance]

The Electronics TakeBack Coalition's Recycling Report Card evaluates takeback and recycling programs for computer, TV, printer and game console companies. The report card focuses on the programs available to consumers in the US, and relies on publicly available information, as of Sept 2010. This company received a grade of D- for its recycling efforts in the USA.[Source 2010][More on Habitats]

In 2009, Microsoft advertised its new 'green' version of Windows with a widespread campaign, but it has also been encouraging consumers to increase their carbon footprint by buying a new computer early in order to make the most of the 'green' software. Consumers International therefore charged Microsoft with greenwashing. [Listed under information due to age of award][Source 2009][More on Irresponsible Marketing]

Major corporations, including this one, use prison labour in the USA, where prisoners are paid slave wages as low as 23 cents an hour doing work which is often dangerous, toxic and unprotected. While much of the work done by prisoners is for the military, other major corporations are taking advantage of the cheap labour in both federal and state US prisons.[Source 2013][More on Workers Rights]

Identified in 'The Big Chill: Too Scared to Speak' report which identified Chinese Olympic Sponsors response to Darfur crisis in Sudan. Received a D-. These companies received a grade slightly higher than outright failure because they met with the campaign.[Source 2008][More on Human Rights]

As You Sow's 2017 report, 'The 100 Most Overpaid CEOs', reveals the 100 most overpaid CEOs from USA's 500 largest public companies (as determined by the S&P 500 list). This company's CEO, Satya Nadella came in at number 80 on the list, having been paid US$18,294,270 in 2015. According to the report, "Most CEOs have come to be grossly overpaid, and that overpayment is harmful to the companies, the shareholders, the customers, the other employees, the economy, and society as a whole."[Source 2017][More on Finance]

This company is a member of the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), a leading source of impartial information, resources and best practices for achieving integrated social and environmental sustainability through Information and Communication Technology (ICT).[Source 2016][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

This company is a member of the Responsible Business Alliance (formerly the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition), a non-profit coalition of electronics companies which supports the rights and wellbeing of workers and communities worldwide affected by the global electronics supply chain. RBA members commit and are held accountable to a common Code of Conduct and utilize a range of RBA training and assessment tools to support continuous improvement in the social, environmental and ethical responsibility of their supply chains.[Source 2017][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

This company is a participant in the Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA), a multi-sector and multi-stakeholder initiative to support supply chain solutions to conflict minerals challenges in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes Region (GLR) of Central Africa. The PPA provides funding and coordination support to organizations working within the region to develop verifiable conflict-free supply chains; align chain-of-custody programs and practices; encourage responsible sourcing from the region; promote transparency; and bolster in-region civil society and governmental capacity.[Source 2014][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

This company is a signatory to WRAP's Electrical and Electronic Equipment Action Plan (esap). Signatories take collective action to reduce their environmental impact and sign up to contribute to the development and implementation of esap.[Source 2017][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

The United Nations Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of 10 values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment, and anti-corruption. However it's non-binding nature has been widely criticised, and many signatory corporations continue to violate the Compact's values.[Source x][More on Sustainability Reporting]

This company is a member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (formerly the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative), which helps companies address conflict minerals issues in their supply chains. The RMI provides information on conflict-free smelters and refiners, common tools to gather sourcing information, and forums for exchanging best practices on addressing conflict minerals. Membership is open to companies that use or transact in tantalum, tin, tungsten or gold (3TG). Founded in 2008 by members of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative.[Source 2019][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

This company is a member of the Circular Economy 100 (CE100) Network, a multi-stakeholder platform run by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The CE100 is the world's leading circular economy network, and facilitates market making by providing collaborative and pre-competitive opportunities which bring together business, innovators, cities and governments, universities, and thought leaders.[Source 2019][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

This company received a grade of C- in the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics (Oct 2017), which assesses companies from the electronics industry across three impact areas: energy use, resource consumption, and chemical elimination. Of the 17 companies ranked, this company came sixth.[Source 2017][More on Climate Change]

California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.[Source 2018][More on Human Rights]

Criticism of Microsoft has followed various aspects of its products and business practices. Issues with ease of use, robustness, and security of the company's software are common targets for critics. Microsoft is also accused of locking vendors and consumers into their products, and of not following and complying with existing standards in its software. The company has been the subject of numerous lawsuits by several governments and other companies for unlawful monopolistic practices.[Source 2014]

OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.[Source 2014]